Indoor air pollution is still a little understood health hazard. Especially very fine particles only 1/40 the width of a human hair pose the greatest health risk. Environmental illnesses are taking a toll upon our children and teachers day by day. Either slowly or quickly, they can progressively harm any part of the human body. Children are expected to learn not only in a lot of old school buildings which have lead paint, dust mites, asbestos, etc. inside, but which are also insulated with new windows that do not allow the entrance of fresh air into these chemicalized buildings.
Sensitivities to everything from pesticides and asthma trigger to even very small amounts of the deteriorated lead-based paint are behind many children's illnesses, behavioral learning difficulties, hyperactivity and depression problems (see, Doris J. Rapp, M.D., "Is This Your Child's World", 1996, N.Y.).
Recently, the need for fan filters rapidly increased, especially for domestic and school use because:
1. The American Lung Association estimates that about 4 million American children suffer from asthma. According to Sesame Street Parents Magazine, March, 1996, the childhood asthma rate rose 58%, and today there are an estimated 4.8 million cases nationwide. Asthma is responsible for 10 million lost school days annually, and it is a leading cause of hospital stays for most children. Asthma accounts for $5 billion in medical costs each year in the U.S. If fan filters were installed and fastened in accordance with the present invention, even in only conventional household fans (there are 500 million of them in America) it will improve the quality of life for children suffering from respiratory ailments and significantly reduce the number of allergy and asthma cases. Indoor allergens, especially those that are small in size, are one of the primary causes of asthma. PA0 2. Another serious problem is the rapidly increasing number of children who are being treated with Ritalin and Prozac. Ritalin and Prozac (class 2 narcotics) have been found to reduce behavioral and depression problems in children. In 1993, two million school children were receiving Ritalin and Prozac (see New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 5, 1995, p. 994). In 1995, the figure doubled to 4 million. This proves that an urgent necessity for removing from the air numerous pollutants causing depression, including the dust from lead-based paint, mold, fungus, etc., which affect the behavior, health and nervous systems of children. PA0 1. Reduce vibration in the air filter. Vibrating air filters release previously airborne particles and create dangerous smaller particles. PA0 2. Air filters with a means of being fastened. PA0 1. To provide for a simple, less expensive, maximum efficient fastening means for a fan filter which permit the ordinary homeowner to convert a household fan for use, either temporarily or permanently, as a filter for clean air in enclosed space; PA0 2. To provide a novel device to facilitate fastening of the filtering element to either a stationary element of the enclosed space or to a stationary element of a fan and which at the same time serve as a vibration insulation unit; PA0 3. To provide an air filter with universal fastening means (devices) that could be used with different sizes and models of fans already in existence on the market and also in the schools, offices, homes, school cafeterias, hospitals, work places, U.S. Army, etc.; PA0 4. To provide a filtering system with fastening means which is inexpensive to manufacture and can also be hand-made at home, school, work places, hospitals, etc., and so mass distribution of them would be guaranteed in a short period; PA0 5. To provide a fan filter with fastening means which will diminish the airborne contaminants but provide invariable in the rate and volume of air flow from the operating fan and wouldn't reduce the cooling effect of the fan system provided by the manufacturers; and PA0 6. To provide a filtering system which accommodates a filtering system the use with any kind of filtering material (for example from activated carbon) and any resistance to air flow including filters which offer considerable resistance to air flow (for example HEPA filter) without affecting the productivity of the fan.